1. Field of the Description
The present invention relates, in general, to methods and devices for moving wings on a toy or other object to simulate natural flight, and, more particularly, to a toy or novelty device that uses magnetic levitation techniques to cause an object or figure such as a winged character to hover on a display platform such that the body is relatively stationary while its wings move to imitate a hovering hummingbird or the like.
2. Relevant Background
Children have always had a fascination with flight and flying object, and winged dolls and other winged toys have always been popular. Flying toys are even more interesting to children when the wings move. For example, winged dolls or fairies that appear to fly by fluttering their wings are very attractive toys. Often, the toy does not actually fly but is instead moved by a playing child with the moving wings adding to the flight effect.
It has proven relatively difficult to create a toy design that is effective in making the wings move in a manner that creates an illusion of natural flight such as a bird that flaps its wings in a life-like manner. One ongoing problem is how to create a desirable fluttering motion in which the wings move independently of the figurine or toy body. In nature, a flying bird such as a hummingbird moves its wings rapidly to fly while the body appears to remain stationary. In contrast, many flying toys are designed to couple the wing to the body such that when the wings are flapped the entire toy including the body appears to be shaking or vibrating, which is not a natural flight effect. Another design issue is how to suspend the figurine or toy body such that the figurine or toy body seems to be supported solely by the wing movement. In some cases, flying toys are tethered from below or above by a string or wire that causes the toy to fly in a circular pattern and that is visible, which can destroy a free-flying effect.
Other design issues have limited production and sales of toys that simulate flight. Moving wings at high speed can require a significant amount of power that may require a sizeable motor and power source. For example, toys may include the motor and power source within the toy body to flap the wings, which results in a relatively heavy and large toy body. Moreover, the fluttering motion itself is difficult to implement with available toy motors. Cost effective and efficient toy motors produce rotational motion but then require additional mechanisms to translate the rotational motion produced by the motor into a fluttering motion that may be useful for driving wing movement.
Hence, there remains a need for toy and novelty designs that are effective in simulating natural flight with a realistic wing fluttering or movement and that are useful in causing the toy to hover with its body relatively still or stationary relative to rapidly moving wings. Preferably such toy designs would be relatively simple to manufacture, would be lightweight, and would use inexpensive components.